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Breivik denies criminal responsibility in last year’s Norway attacks

The man who carried out bomb and gun attacks in Norway last year which left 77 people dead has pleaded not guilty at the start … Continue reading Breivik denies criminal responsibility in last year’s Norway attacks


The man who carried out bomb and gun attacks in Norway last year which left 77 people dead has pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial in Oslo.

Anders Behring Breivik attacked a youth camp organised by the governing Labour party on the island of Utoeya, after setting off a car bomb in the capital.

He told the court he “acknowledged” the acts committed, but said he did not accept criminal responsibility.

The prosecution earlier gave a detailed account of how each person was killed.

If the court decides he is criminally insane, he will be committed to psychiatric care; if he is judged to be mentally stable, he will be jailed.

In the latter case, he faces a sentence of 21 years, which could be extended to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.

The 33-year-old Norwegian was found insane in one examination, while a second assessment made public last week found him mentally competent.

Dressed in a dark suit, Breivik smiled as he entered the courtroom and a guard removed his handcuffs. He then gave a closed-fist salute.

He later told the lead judge, Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen: “I do not recognise the Norwegian courts. You have received your mandate from political parties which support multiculturalism.”

He also said he did not recognise the authority of Judge Arntzen, claiming she was friends with the sister of former Prime Minister and Labour party leader Gro Harlem Brundtland.

The judge noted the objections, which Breivik’s lawyer said were not official, and said the defence could follow up on them in their opening arguments.

Breivik described his occupation as a “writer”, currently working from prison.

She said the attacks “created fear in the Norwegian population”, adding: “The defendant has committed very serious crimes, on a scale which hasn’t been experienced in our country in modern times.”

Breivik showed no emotion, looking down at the table in front of him.

At the end of the indictment, he told the court: “I acknowledge the acts, but not criminal guilt – I claim I was doing it in self-defence.”

Breivik has already confessed to the attacks on 22 July. In the car bombing outside government buildings in Oslo, eight people were killed and 209 wounded.